Nancy Survived
by MiaMeadows
Summary: After being left for dead Nancy wakes up in hospital. Dodger, as always, is there to lend a comforting hand and with Bill gone this could finally be a chance to make his dreams come true.
1. Part One

**Disclaimer: I do not own Oliver Twist, he belongs to Charles Dickens, I also don't own Oliver! He belongs to Lionel Bart and Vernon Harris yo.**

Nancy opened her eyes. There was a terrible throbbing in her head. What had happened to her? She couldn't remember. She had been trying to take something somewhere. She reached her hand up to her head. It was shrouded in a bandage. Oliver. It was Oliver she was trying to save. Was he safe? She didn't know. More importantly she didn't know where she was. Her eyes were trying desperately to make out any shapes in the darkness. Suddenly she heard a voice, a little closer than she had expected.

"You're awake."

She blinked, she could vaguely make out a shape standing before her.

"We were worried you wouldn't make it."

"Where am I?" She asked

"St Bartholomew's" said the disembodied voice, "But I'm afraid that now you're awake and everything you better be on your way."

"But where will I go?"

"Home?"

Home? Where was home? Bill, where was Bill? Then she remembered, almost too quickly. The fight at the bridge; the pain in her head. He had tried to kill her.

"But I can't see."

"Your eyesight should be fine by the end of the day, you've had a lucky escape you know?"

Within an hour she was outside. She didn't know where to go, she couldn't go home, Bill might be there and he might try to kill her again. That would be inconvenient since she had only just recovered from the last time. She could go to Fagin's, or to the Three Cripples, but these were all places she might bump into Bill. And that thought was almost too terrifying.

Well, there was nothing for it, she would have to brave a trip to Fagin's and hope that Bill wasn't there. So off she went. But when she arrived the place wasn't full of boys smoking and drinking, there was nothing but a few pigeons and couple of old men who were either asleep or dead on the floor. She didn't stop to check.

So she headed for the pub, but not without catching a glimpse of herself in a window. Her face was a brighter purple than her stockings and a deeper red than her dress. She suddenly felt very self-conscious and decided to take the bandage off; at least then her hair would look nice. But unfortunately her head looked even worse than her face and her hair was stained with blood. So she wrapped it back up again and tried to forget about it.

The pub was relatively empty, and the bar tender was less than helpful.

"Haven't seen him for about a week." was all he had to say about Bill and he was very vague when asked about Bet, though it seemed she had disappeared around the same time Bill had. Nancy felt a pang of something, was it jealousy? Honestly, you would think after all this time she would have learned. But, then, some luck at last, he had seen Fagin only yesterday and he would no doubt be back tonight.

So she waited. She had no money so resorted to stealing someone's wallet so she could afford something to eat. At least growing up with Fagin was good for something. When he finally arrived it was after twelve. Her head had started to hurt again and she was pretty fed up at everyone staring at the cuts and bruises on her face. Honestly, you'd think they'd never seen someone who had almost been killed by their boyfriend before.

When Fagin saw her his face was a mixture of horror and delight.

"Nancy! We though you were dead!"

"Not quite Fagin, where are you living now anyway, I went to your place."

"We changed lodges; we're in an old mill now. Dodger is working on rounding up the troops again. He'll be delighted to know you're alive."

"Could I come back with you do you mind?"

"No trouble at all my dear."

She almost asked about Bill but thought better of it.

When they reached the old mill house Nancy felt as if she might faint. She hoped there would be somewhere for her to lie down.

When Dodger first saw her his face was pricelessly perfect. He screamed out her name and practically flew across the room, throwing his arms around her so tight that he almost knocked her down.

It took a lot of effort for Fagin to prize his arms away and explain that Nancy was very tired and should therefore be sent straight to bed. He did notice, however, that there were now two clean streaks through the grime on Dodger's face and the thought made him smile.

However, Dodger was not one to be dissuaded and after ensuring the other boys were all asleep and Fagin had left for his sneaky night time business he hopped out of bed and snuck into Nancy's room. Nancy's room was merely an alcove that provided a limited amount of privacy where she was sleeping on a makeshift bed made from a basket and several knitted blankets.

She looked so vulnerable that Dodger wanted to grab a hold of her again and never let go, to protect from all the men in the world who were like Bill Sikes. Looking at the state she was in he didn't know how she could possibly have survived.

He realised all too suddenly that her red dress was hanging over the beam beside her, and that meant that, underneath those covers, she was... He turned bright red and resolved to retreat back to his bed and talk to her in the morning when she was more clothed. But then, she moved her head just slightly and he realised that, regardless of the cuts and the bruises, she was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen in his life.


	2. Part Two

The next morning Nancy's face looked a little less horrific, and after washing the blood out of her hair she even felt sort of better about herself. She decided that sooner or later she was going to have to ask, so before the boys left for the day she pulled Fagin aside and asked him the question that had been weighing on her mind since she had woken up in hospital.

"Where's Bill?"

"Oh, I thought you knew my dear. He's dead."

"Dead?"

If there had of been a chair nearby she would have sat in it, but seeing as there wasn't she just leaned back against the wall.

"When? How?"

"The night he tried to kill you my dear, he kidnapped Oliver and the beak shot him."

"Was Oliver ok?"

"Sure he is, he's back living the high life with Brownlow."

Nancy looked a little pale so Fagin decided to leave her to her thoughts and gathered the boys together for their day at the office...so to speak. But Dodger, ever stealthy Dodger, had not only heard the conversation between Nancy and Fagin but he had also seen Nancy's face, when she had found out Bill was dead, and it was something he hoped he would never have to see again.

She looked as though that wall was the only thing stopping her from crumpling to the floor.

"Nancy?" he said, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Are you alright?"

"Bill's dead." she said and her face broke into a million tears.

It was heart-breaking for poor Dodger who had never seen Nancy cry before, never seen her be anything but strong. Of course she had every right to be upset, she had almost died for goodness sake, but somehow he thought that wasn't why she was crying.

"It's ok Nancy" he said, though he was fairly sure it wasn't, "you're going to be all right, I'm here, I'll look after you now."

"I don't need anyone to look after me," she said, wiping her face and shaking off Dodger's hand, "I'm fine."

Dodger was a little hurt, but never discouraged. So, instead of going pick pocketing with the other boys he dedicated his day to finding a present for Nancy, a present that would make her so happy she would forget all about the creep she had called a boyfriend.

Bet was a hard girl to find, after loosing her best friend, she hadn't been having the easiest time of it. She had moved into Nancy and Bill's old place and was trying desperately to feed herself and Bullseye who just wouldn't stay away, no matter how horrible she was to him. But the Artful Dodger didn't get his name for nothing you know and within an hour, or so, he was knocking on the door.

When Bet found out Nancy was alive she looked almost as happy as Dodger had, but no one else could ever have looked _that_ happy. In less than a minute she was following him back to the mill where Nancy was pacing back and forth wondering what on earth she was going to do with her life now that no one needed her anymore. No one needed her. That brought on another tumble of tears.

But seeing Bet changed everything. They decided at once that Nancy should move back into her old house and that they would live together, and in no time at all they were gone, discussing curtains of all things.

She didn't thank Dodger for his present. She didn't even look at him.

But nothing could ever dishearten Dodger, and he resolved to do something drastic the next time he saw her, something far more romantic than creating a carriage out of his friends. Though what could be more romantic than that I don't know.


	3. Part Three

Dodger would flatter himself to say that he was quite possibly the most romantic man in the world. He was sure he could plan something spectacular to sweep Nancy off her feet.

He found himself thinking about her all the time. Even more than he used to, which was a lot. He thought about her when he was picking pockets, he thought about her when he was taking the initials out of handkerchiefs, he even thought about her when he was trying to sleep which made sleep almost impossible.

After a couple of days Charlie noticed that something was up and, as a friend, tried to find out the cause.

"Charlie, I'm in love."

"You're not still on about Nancy are you Dodge? Surely you know by now that nothing is ever going to happen."

"I do not know that, besides, now that Bill's dead I can..."

"Can what? She's going to end up with someone just like Bill Sikes and they'll..."

"I will never let that happen!"

"So what exactly do you plan to do to win her heart?"

"Well I, I haven't really thought of anything yet but..."

"That sounds promising."

"Look, I just need some sort of romantic gesture, like when we made the carriage, only better because that didn't work."

"Well, it sort of did, I mean it couldn't have worked then because of Bill, but she did dance with you remember, you wouldn't shut up about it afterwards."

"That's true."

"So I think you should stick with that then."

"What? Just do it again?"

"Why not?"

"Maybe, I think I have an idea Charlie."

"What's that?"

"I'm going to need your help."

So the two boys set to work searching the streets of London for all their old friends. They found most of them and soon they were back at Fagin's with a moldy sausage each and a mug of gin.

Dodger wasted no time in telling them the plan and the whole lot of them set out for Nancy's house the next day.

And here is what they did: Outside of Nancy's window they stood and one by one the boys piled on top of each other in a pyramid, then Dodger, who had taken the care to clean his face and hands, holding a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers (where he got them I will not divulge), climbed atop the pyramid and began to sing at the top of his lungs.

"_I'd do anything, for you dear anything, for you mean everything to me."_

Nancy heard him straight away, though that wasn't difficult as the whole street probably heard him.

"_I know that, I'd go anywhere, for your smile anywhere, for your smile anywhere I'd see."_

She had come to the window, she was smiling, that was a good sign.

"_I'd risk everything, for one kiss everything, yes I'd do anything, anything for you!"_

Dodger had on that glittering smile that would have made a lesser woman go weak at the knees, but not Nancy, and by the time the boys had climbed down and were busy dancing with the onlookers she was standing at the door with her hands on her hips.

"What's all the racket out here then?"

"My lady" said Dodger, bowing at the bottom of the stairs and holding out the bouquet.

No one had ever given her flowers before.

"For me Sir Artful?"

"Only the best for you."

She looked at him then, really looked at him, sure he was half her size but he was only a couple of years younger than she was. There could be no harm in asking.

"You do love me don't you Dodge?"

"I've always loved you."

That was certainly a better response than she had heard in the past.

There was really only one thing left to check.

She kissed him, proper.

She was pleasantly surprised but she broke away when she heard the cheers and whistles from their audience and looked back at his face. It had turned a lovely pink.

"I guess you're not all bad." She said.

Dodger couldn't do much, except grin.

The End.


End file.
